[AllBlackBimmer]

I've had my 328 for.. 8 years? now... great car. 106k miles.
I've experienced mostly all the common issues with these cars.

Of course my oil pan gasket is leaking... I would bet money my rear main seal is leaking too. I know an oil pan leaking can make it 'appear' like the rear main seal is leaking too.

But, other than a mild loss of oil, and/or a oil drips under the car... is there really any reason to spend the money to fix my oil pan gasket?
I think my indy and dealer were around the same price... $1200-1400ish or so if I recall.

Leaking oil pan isn't going to make the car un-driveable, so is there really any reason to spend this money? I would not be capable of DIY on this as I don't have the space or capability for this job, nor the "want" to DIY on this repair.

I figure just let it keep seeping, as it isn't leaking bad at all, and continue to drive my car. is it really going to hurt anything?

I know with something like the OFHG it will leak onto the belt and ruin the belt over time, and the VCG leaking can causes issues... but a leaky oil pan gasket - no 'real issues', right?

Need to get my water pump done soon... there is in no way a "cost savings" by doing these together with shared parts removal correct?

[HawkeyeGeoff]

You might see if you would save some labor on getting both done at the same time.

Otherwise I'd just leave it and keep track of your oil levels. As long as YOU don't have an issue with it, I'd just keep running it.

[Jeeves0501]

It's crazy that I've been thinking the same exact thing. Had my 328 for 4 years, now at 107k and replaced so much until I came across the oil pan gasket leak. I cleaned up the oil pan with oil degreaser to see how bad it is, but since it's not as bad as leaving oil spots on the ground and having to refill oil constantly, I've decided to let it leak a bit longer.
Unless someone has some insight on how problematic leaving the leaky gasket can be...

[Delta0311]

OFHG is a MUST fix
VCG can also cause issues but not as bad as OFHG leaking all over the belt and pullies.

OPG no need to get crazy with it. As long as you are not leaving puddles then it's not really a must fix issue. I recommend oil changes between 5-7k miles; that's just me. If you can get that range without having to add any oil or possibly a liter then the OPG is not really an issue.

[IllSic_Design]

I have done mine, but only because I said screw it and had my car all apart for turbos and a bunch of other stuff. If it is not leaving a puddle under the car, you're not going low on oil from it, etc. then I would NOT change it. It is unnecessary unless it is majorly leaking.

[Nickco43]

Originally Posted by AllBlackBimmer

I've had my 328 for.. 8 years? now... great car. 106k miles.
I've experienced mostly all the common issues with these cars.

Of course my oil pan gasket is leaking... I would bet money my rear main seal is leaking too. I know an oil pan leaking can make it 'appear' like the rear main seal is leaking too.

But, other than a mild loss of oil, and/or a oil drips under the car... is there really any reason to spend the money to fix my oil pan gasket?
I think my indy and dealer were around the same price... $1200-1400ish or so if I recall.

Leaking oil pan isn't going to make the car un-driveable, so is there really any reason to spend this money? I would not be capable of DIY on this as I don't have the space or capability for this job, nor the "want" to DIY on this repair.

I figure just let it keep seeping, as it isn't leaking bad at all, and continue to drive my car. is it really going to hurt anything?

I know with something like the OFHG it will leak onto the belt and ruin the belt over time, and the VCG leaking can causes issues... but a leaky oil pan gasket - no 'real issues', right?

Need to get my water pump done soon... there is in no way a "cost savings" by doing these together with shared parts removal correct?

Top end oil leaks should be addressed quickly. The oil pan gasket you can let go until it starts pissing out oil. My car leaks 1 liter of oil every 1,000 miles or so. As long as you check the oil every week and you top it off when needed you will not do any damage to your car. You will only be killing bami with the oil leaking into the environment.

I would replace the water pump with the oil pan gasket since the water pump is much easier to remove with the sub frame dropped.

[Wolf 335]

Mine has been leaking for the past two years.

It has now come to a point that this needs to get fixed.
So this week its getting taken care of.

Your indy is charging you too much.

[AllBlackBimmer]

I think my oil pan has been "leaking" for about 2 years now too.
I honestly dont see any puddles under the car, nor do I have to add oil between changes. I don't even consider adding oil, so it absolutely is not leaking "bad"

I have already done the VCG and OFHG... both of them probably 30k ago or so, I am just waiting for both of those to start leaking again. I agree, these are both MUST fixes and is not good to let these get bad at all, as that causes issues.

Thanks for the replies, looks like my oil pan will keep on leaking.

... what is a "fair" price from an indy just curious? My indy is a BMW specific indy, so I have noticed his prices are really not much cheaper than the dealer. Good shop, but isn't a typical Indy i suppose. I wouldnt take my BMW to a "regular" shop, even an 10 year old 328. And, my dealer is actually pretty fair, which I know is crazy, they have been awarded one of the "best BMW dealers in the country" or whatever before, the list of the top 25 or 50 dealers in the US... and they treat me pretty well and haven't screwed me on anything... yet.

[hassmaschine]

absolutely, definitely, 100% not worth it.

The dealer naturally said that about my car when I had it in for recalls - they said it was in perfect condition, except of course I should spend $3k to get the oil pan gasket replaced (half the value of the car?). Even though, in 15,000 miles it might leak 1 quart of oil, and it doesn't even leak enough to leave a drop on my garage floor.

If it started leaking a quart in 3,000 miles, I would consider a DIY - but other than that, there's no way it's worth paying a shop, especially not a BMW dealership, to replace it when it's causing no real harm.

It had better be leaking like a crashed oil tanker for a $3000 repair to be worth it - either that, or you enjoy burning money for fun.

[tlow98]

Originally Posted by AllBlackBimmer

I would bet money my rear main seal is leaking too. I know an oil pan leaking can make it 'appear' like the rear main seal is leaking too.

I would bet money the rear main seal is likely NOT leaking. These cars very rarely leak there. The rear main seal is very different from previous models and is installed with a specific sealant that works incredibly well.

If it is discovered it's leaking all the more reason not to mess with it unless you want to spend another 1.5k.

[Wolf 335]

Originally Posted by AllBlackBimmer

I think my oil pan has been "leaking" for about 2 years now too.
I honestly dont see any puddles under the car, nor do I have to add oil between changes. I don't even consider adding oil, so it absolutely is not leaking "bad"

I have already done the VCG and OFHG... both of them probably 30k ago or so, I am just waiting for both of those to start leaking again. I agree, these are both MUST fixes and is not good to let these get bad at all, as that causes issues.

Thanks for the replies, looks like my oil pan will keep on leaking.

... what is a "fair" price from an indy just curious? My indy is a BMW specific indy, so I have noticed his prices are really not much cheaper than the dealer. Good shop, but isn't a typical Indy i suppose. I wouldnt take my BMW to a "regular" shop, even an 10 year old 328. And, my dealer is actually pretty fair, which I know is crazy, they have been awarded one of the "best BMW dealers in the country" or whatever before, the list of the top 25 or 50 dealers in the US... and they treat me pretty well and haven't screwed me on anything... yet.

Going rate for an oil pan job here in Toronto Canada is $600-$1000 (parts and labor). And that's Canadian dollars.

parts: oil, filter, pan gasket and all bolts

Another thing to keep in mind is the engine mounts. I'm getting mine replaced as well. There is no labor cost associated with them when doing the oil pan, just the cost of part. I sourced mine from FCP as their price was unbeatable.

You guys are extremely lucky with the cost and shipping of auto parts in US.

[Mrclean67]

I noticed mine just started to leak and is leaving a half dollar size puddle on the shop floor, it has 100k on it now. What all is entailed in the DIY for the OPG? I'm very mechanically inclined. Thanks

[catcher22]

My oil pan has been leaking for 2+ years as well. It used to be a slow leak, but recently it started pissing oil and it's always wet down there (that's what she said )

Anyway, it's to the point where I need to get it fixed as well. Just did all Index 12's this summer (badly needed those too), so not too happy about the whole situation right now....

I have an XI and a DIY is not really possible for me in my apartment. Plus, I'm not dropping that subframe myself lol

[whyzee125]

No need to fix it until the leak gets bad. Mine has been seeping bit for about 2 years. After fixing the ofhg and vcg I almost never get a drop even with the belly pan off. Maybe a drop a week or so. I don’t have any plans to fix it.

[Joebie]

Originally Posted by Mrclean67

I noticed mine just started to leak and is leaving a half dollar size puddle on the shop floor, it has 100k on it now. What all is entailed in the DIY for the OPG? I'm very mechanically inclined. Thanks

Support engine from top, drop subframe, remove and replace oil pan, reinstall subframe, done.

Takes a bit of time but doesn't sound hard at all, I haven't done mine yet though so I can't say for sure.

[lowrydr310]

Will a leaking oil pan gasket cause a mild burning oil smell? I have a slight oil pan gasket leak what isn't dripping but will coat the sides of pan after about 2000 miles collecting dust and grime. After a hard drive I can still smell some burnt oil. I'm only asking because in all my other cars that had oil pan gasket leaks I never smelled burnt oil. It was always leaky valve covers burning the oil.

I'm not trying to hijack the thread, but for reference I replaced my valve cover gasket and oil filter housing gasket which stopped all the other visible leaks besides the oil pan, yet I still smell oil burning. The only thing I haven't checked yet because I can't see it is the CCV hoses and oil separator. I have a 06 N52 with the magnesium valve cover and the oil separator is buried under the intake manifold near the back of the engine. I'm wondering if that's leaking down onto the oil pan too.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by Mrclean67

I noticed mine just started to leak and is leaving a half dollar size puddle on the shop floor, it has 100k on it now. What all is entailed in the DIY for the OPG? I'm very mechanically inclined. Thanks

The DIY section has a great OPG replacement DIY. Just use that. You have to drop the subframe, but don't have to unbolt the struts. It's not hard, but it is tedious. You need a 1/4-drive torque wrench. Use gasket sealer on the new gasket. I used Permatex Ultra Black.

https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1180020

[AllBlackBimmer]

So I just had my car at the dealer for an oil change...

Of course they pointed out my oil pan gasket again.
But, to my surprise the price was much more reasonable $850... which I think is a great price from a dealership.
... still not going to get it done, but if/when it starts leaking bad, I wouldn’t be as hesitant to shell out $850 vs the $1200-1400 it ‘used’ to cost. Pleasantly surprised, but still not doing it haha. My dealer is honestly pretty good and has been pretty fair with all the service I’ve done there. They treat my 10 year old, 100k e90 like a brand new $80,000 car.

[aholst048]

Originally Posted by AllBlackBimmer

So I just had my car at the dealer for an oil change...

Of course they pointed out my oil pan gasket again.
But, to my surprise the price was much more reasonable $850... which I think is a great price from a dealership.
... still not going to get it done, but if/when it starts leaking bad, I wouldn’t be as hesitant to shell out $850 vs the $1200-1400 it ‘used’ to cost. Pleasantly surprised, but still not doing it haha. My dealer is honestly pretty good and has been pretty fair with all the service I’ve done there. They treat my 10 year old, 100k e90 like a brand new $80,000 car.

$850 is pretty reasonable. That's about what it goes for here in PDX (and our labor rates are pretty steep! It ain't cheap here). BUT! Don't get suckered into doing the rear main seal. They rarely if ever leak. I have seen 1 leak, but that is because someone felt the need to touch it when doing an oil pan gasket @70k and the car then had 110k.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by Mrclean67

I noticed mine just started to leak and is leaving a half dollar size puddle on the shop floor, it has 100k on it now. What all is entailed in the DIY for the OPG? I'm very mechanically inclined. Thanks

I should have added, if you are finding a half dollar sized spot on the floor, then the next time you drop the engine lower cover (belly pan) you'll find the belly pan a mess of oil and road grime. After I did my OPG it took me a good hour to fully clean the belly pan from the mess it carries. The belly pan on these cars hide a lot of fluid leaks.

I let my pan leak for about 88,000 miles and 2 years. It made a mess of the belly pan. Worst off it lets oil into the bell housing (which makes it look like the rear crank seal is leaking) and makes a mess inside the bellhousing, which I discovered when I replaced the clutch. The pressure plate has fan blades built into it for clutch cooling. The air turbulence inside the bell housing sprays the leaking engine oil all over the inside of the housing.

[PichaDis11]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

The DIY section has a great OPG replacement DIY. Just use that. You have to drop the subframe, but don't have to unbolt the struts. It's not hard, but it is tedious. You need a 1/4-drive torque wrench. Use gasket sealer on the new gasket. I used Permatex Ultra Black.

https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1180020

Do you use the gasket sealer to both mating faces of the pan and engine block?

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by PichaDis11

Do you use the gasket sealer to both mating faces of the pan and engine block?

I applied it to both sides of the gasket, which is the same difference. It just takes a thin skin coat. It's easier to apply it to the gasket.